Vampyr is an action role-playing game played from a third-person view.[2] The player controls Jonathan E. Reid,[3] a doctor who was made into a vampire, and whose thirst for blood compels him to kill innocent people. To do this successfully, he must study and change his targets' habits, collect clues, and maintain relationships with the sixty citizens under his care in London,[4][5][6] which serves as a fictionalised semi-open world built around hubs of neighbourhoods tethered to other areas.[7][8][9] A skill tree facilitates the improvement of abilities, which is fuelled by experience points[10] gained from blood and, alternatively, investigation.[11] Feeding on human blood provides nourishment in addition to unlocking new vampiric powers.[3] Abilities can be manually activated and passively upgraded. Active skills afford defensive, aggressive, healing, and tactical measures; passive skills increase health, stamina, the blood gauge and absorption, bite damage and regeneration, and carry capacity.[12]
It is possible to finish the game without killing citizens,[2] which best preserves Reid's cover as a doctor,[13] but leaves him nearly incapable of levelling up.[14] Killing no one unlocks one of four endings.[15] He can turn people into vampires,[16] and is only able to enter a house with an invitation.[17] Locals each have their different backgrounds, relationships, and routines. If killed, they impart their last thought.[18] The "Mesmerise" ability controls the behaviour of weaker targets, like coercing them into revealing information,[19] or guiding them to less conspicuous areas so as to feed without combat.[9] With crafted medicine, Reid can heal the injured and sick, who if eaten,[7][16] will yield more experience points as a result;[5] the rate of their affliction can be viewed using vampire senses,[20] which also detect blood.[21] Each of the four districts has a score based on the average health of its citizens.[22][23] Reid navigates London using a waypoint,[21] and collectible documents are scattered around the city.[24]
Reid can wield improvised melee weapons, such as a saw, as well as ranged weapons including the Webley Revolver.[4][25] Being able to use three-hit combos, dodge rolls, and parrying,[6] he can fight against other vampires like him—aristocrats who go by the name of Ekon; sewer-dwelling vampires known as Skals; the Vulkod—a stronger breed of vampire resembling werewolves; Nemrod—vampires who hunt their own kind;[26] and the Guard of Priwen—a secret society of vampire slayers.[27] Boss fights are featured,[7] and in some cases mandatory.[28] Reid is adaptable to other vampire features, like the claws of a Vulkod.[26] Weapon improvement through crafting is made possible by looting items. While using vampiric powers in combat, the character's blood bar drains. This forces him to feed so he can immediately replenish his strength.[3][21] With the vitality attained from killing a human being, he can boil the blood of his enemies, cast blood spears,[29] throw mist bombs, and turn invisible.[6] He uses his control of shadows to hide himself and strike at his opponents.[26] He can use "Spring" to scale locations and charge rapidly across gaps,[2][9] which is also useful for avoiding combat.[30]
